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The Colossian Way – Eager to learn more about The Colossian Way experience and how it could benefit you, your church, or your faith community? Please provide your phone number (above) to receive information and to be contacted by our team. Quarterly Newsletter – Be encouraged and equipped as you navigate faithfulness in a post-Christian culture. Our newsletter invites introspection, fuels discussion, and shares innovations. Monthly Prayer Letter – Stay in touch with TCF President, Michael Gulker, as he wrestles with the gospel reality of how our deepest conflicts can become the occasion for spiritual growth and witness. Blog – A new conversation for turbulent times. Stay in touch with the surprising ways Christians are engaging current cultural polarizations to grow in their love for God and others.Events - Be the first to hear about the gatherings we're hosting, welcoming you into rich conversation with a growing community of Christians.

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Colossian Blog

Last week, we hosted 22 leaders, 7 coaches, and 4 observers at our second Colossian Way leader training. This was the first training held in our Grand Rapids office, and we enjoyed hosting these leaders from across the country as they were trained to lead the Colossian Way experience in their local churches and schools. The cohort delved into the mission and vision of The Colossian Forum, unpacked what it means to tackle conflict as an opportunity for deeper discipleship, and got hands-on tips and experience leading a small group. This cohort will lead their local small groups through both the sexuality and origins experience. Leaders came to this training from Alaska, California, Colorado, Tennessee, and Michigan. Please join us in praying for these brothers and sisters in Christ as they gather their small groups to run The Colossian Way in early 2018. We look forward to hearing and sharing more about their journey through The Colossian Way! How you can get involved If you're interested in leading a Colossian Way small group in your church or school, please visit our Colossian Way page to find out more information about upcoming cohorts, training, and details. Our next leader training is in May 2018. We hope to see you there! Scenes from Colossian Way leader training [gallery size="medium" ids="8340,8350,8341,8342,8343,8344,8354,8346,8347,8348,8349,8352"]

The political climate surrounding both the Obama and Trump presidencies is marked by hyper-partisan attitudes. Much of the rhetoric centers around “we’ll do this without you” from the majority party and “if you’re for it, we’re against it” from the minority party. Every available political tool is wielded to defeat what the other side wants to do. The news from the right and left often seems to be covering different planets. Many people appear to be listening only to an echo of themselves. Policy discussion is marked by talking points that inflame one side and caricature the other. This melee teaches us how not to communicate with each other. Families and communities are so divided that political discussion and life together becomes uncomfortable and sometimes impossible. Do Christians have resources for working together across political differences? Can we offer an alternative to the current appalling state of political discourse? We think so. Our senior fellow at TCF, Harold Heie, is hosting a new digital conversation on Reforming our Political Discourse on his website, Respectful Conversation. This digital conversation will feature: Proposing a Christian perspective on political discourse Discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the proposed Christian perspective Modeling the proposed Christian perspective by discussing the nature of politics and selected contentious public policy issues Discussing a possible way forward for Christians Each topic in this 10-month dialog features two conversation partners with significant disagreements in the subject matter. The hope for this project is to show how people on opposite sides of conflict demonstrate respect for one another and discover common ground that fosters ongoing conversation. We hope you'll join us for this enlightening and thought-provoking conversation!

We're honored that Pillar Church asked TCF president Michael Gulker to present on Conflict as Opportunity: Learning to Fight Like Jesus, as part of their Christ in the City series in Holland, Michigan. Christ in the City is focusing on how Christians can make peace with duality in the world. Topics covered include creation, gender, politics, the church body, and human sexuality. Pillar was the site of a denominational split in the 1850s. Like many tough conflicts, tensions were high, both sides entrenched in the truth as they believed it, and answers simply pointed to the growing divide. It came to a head when some members of Pillar Church locked other members out, went on to start a new church, which soon led to a new denomination. It's a familiar story of conflict and separation, even over 150 years later. Pillar's history is defined by division and conflict, and today they are the first church that is dually affiliated with the denominations involved in the split. It's not an easy path, but a remarkable one that truly shows that "all things hold together in Christ" (Colossians 1:17). In our watchful, divided, and polarized world, we're thrilled to be partners with churches like Pillar who engage in deep discipleship and are proof of what it looks like when you turn conflict into opportunity. Here's the audio of Michael Gulker's presentation on learning to fight like Jesus. [audio mp3="http://colossianforum.org/site.2016/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Pillar_20170809_CITC.mp3"][/audio] Curious how we're helping make a more beautiful church? Our mission here at The Colossian Forum is to equip leaders to transform cultural conflicts into opportunities for spiritual growth and witness. We want to see a more beautiful church, one that acts Christian, especially in the face of conflict. Check out our series of three short videos that introduces The Colossian Way. The first covers wicked problems. [embed]https://vimeo.com/180640688[/embed] The second tackles Christian virtues: [embed]https://vimeo.com/187857994[/embed] And the third outlines how we see conflict as opportunity here at TCF. [embed]https://vimeo.com/180188904[/embed] We have a short video discussion guide that accompanies this video series. To access it, email us at info@colossianforum.org. Simply mention videos in the subject line. When you email us, we'll also send you our Top Ten Frequently Asked Questions to help guide your discipleship journey. One Last Thing The Colossian Forum shot a video at Pillar Church a few years ago that highlights our foundation in faith, science, and culture, and how that important conversation is a stepping stone to deeper discipleship and Christian witness. Enjoy! [embed]https://vimeo.com/32912914[/embed]

The Adam Quest, recently released by Tim Stafford, has shown itself to be both a source of conflict and an opportunity for transformation. One of its featured interviewees, TCF fellow Todd Wood, blogged yesterday about his response to the book, including his disappointment over what he feels is a misrepresentation of himself and of his young earth creationist perspective. Wood’s frustration with this project—the book was initiated and supported by TCF—leads him to question his ongoing collaboration with our efforts to facilitate dialogue about divisive issues. We’ve been grateful for his willingness to enter into conversations, hosted by TCF, with scientists who openly support an evolutionary theory of creation. We also understand, however, that any attempt at such dialogue is fraught with fear and defensiveness, and that motives on all sides are apt to be questioned. Which is why this post is such a beautiful picture of God’s in-breaking kingdom. Wood doesn’t shy away from the pain and fear that characterizes much of this difficult work. But in the midst of his frustration and disappointment, he embodies the persistence and hope without which we can’t possibly participate in God’s work of peace and reconciliation. If you read one piece online today, it should be Wood's post.

TCF staff members Michael Gulker and Rob Barrett were recently invited to participate in a forum hosted by Union University and co-sponsored by TCF at a retreat center in Memphis, Tennessee. This event was part of an ongoing project at Union and continues a two-year old partnership with TCF. The Union faculty group regularly convenes scholars from a variety of disciplines in order to explore questions related to faith and science. This particular gathering focused on issues of origins (of the universe, of the earth, and of human beings) in light of three questions: 1. What are the main difficulties and sources of tension in faith-science questions? 2. What might a resolution look like? 3. What would it take to change your mind? The event was characterized by the sorts of relationships that can flourish only in the context of ongoing interactions. In this sense, TCF was grateful to observe and participate in the development of relationships which have withstood – and continue to withstand – moments of significant misunderstanding and differences in positions and perspectives. As the faculty group continues to fold in new members, these scholars “catch” the approach from the longstanding members and contribute their own unique perspectives and passions. The group is diverse and willing to probe controversial topics, so participants regularly encounter difficulties in their exchanges. But controversy is contextualized, finding its place within the group’s common commitment to one another in Christ, and to the common pursuit of truth in love. An important instance of this came at a juncture when one member called attention to the Apostles Creed as a unifying confession held in common by the entire group. Another recurring theme was the necessity of relying upon expert knowledge in these discussions. Participants acknowledged 1) the vast amount of knowledge we simply don’t yet possess and 2) the particular challenge of expertise. This last consideration reveals significant humility, as participants frankly discussed the narrowness of any field to which a scholar might actually claim mastery. The increasing range of knowledge available necessarily requires intense specialization, leading to experts with quite precise limitations on their fields of proficiency. This, in turn, highlights the need for communal discernment, as only in the interaction of experts will truth fully come to light. Union University has worked to foster charitable faith/science conversations for longer than TCF has been in existence. We are grateful for partners like Union who work to build strong networks of scholars who are willing to enter into discussions in the midst of sometimes difficult differences. We are privileged to support their work, and to learn from their ongoing efforts to foster relationships for the purpose of discerning the truth together.